pc06 Suicide or something worse?

pc06 Suicide or something worse? We look at the causes of depression leading into suicide, and help from God and the Bible.

Suicide: A solution or something worse?

by David Cox
[P06] v1 ©2008

www.coxtracts.com
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This tract can be freely reproduced for non-profit purposes.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; Ecclesiastes 12:1

The Rock group called “The Suicide Girls” make money by promoting the concept of suicide. In fact, there are fads among our youth like the Emus which also promote this concept among our youth as something great. These elements are floating around among our youth which glamorize suicide, such as a game where they hang themselves in their closet, and then remove the rope before actually dying to see how close to death they can get. Many times, they err and die before they can free themselves. The culture among these groups is a study of suicide to worship it and promote suicide pacts making it romantic and desirable.

In 1995 in the United Status, the CDC in Atlanta did a study on suicide among 10,904 high school students. In the 12 months before the study, 24% had seriously thought of suicide, and 17.7% had a specific plan of how to do it, and 8.7% had tried to do it, and 2.8% had been somehow injured in their attempts. There is a suicide in the US every 17 minutes. It is the 11^th cause of death in the general population, and it is the 3^rd cause of death among youth (15-24), after accidents (1^st), and homicide (2^nd). There are more suicide deaths in the general population than homicides.[1]

. Contents

What causes a person to think about suicide?
What is depression?
- See also
Who is the King and Owner of your Life?
- See also
What is suicide?
How do I avoid ideas of suicide?
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What causes a person to think about suicide?

Nobody “in their right mind” wants to take their own life. You may consider taking your life, because there are bad things in your life which are so strong and unpleasant; things that you can neither control nor remove nor put up with, that all this moves you to the breaking point where you consider suicide as an acceptable escape from these things. What is seldom contemplated is that on dying, your existence afterwards may be worse than anything you suffered in this life. Exodus 20:13 says Thou shalt not kill. 1 John 3:15 “ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” indicates that suicide is a sin of murder in which true Christians just do not commit or even contemplate. Depression is always a predecessor of suicide, and the dark elements such as problems and concentrating on them in the extreme makes this depression get aggravated until considering suicide becomes a reality. Normally with youth it is horrible family circumstances pressing upon them, and with the elderly it is their health or poverty, and with middle aged adults it is usually an economic situation, their health, or problems with other people. Satan is expert in knowing how to use circumstances and elements in our lives to cause us to become depressed, and suicide is where all of this ends if one lets Satan win over you.

What is depression?

Depression is a feeling that comes from feeling you are out of control of your own life (with such elements as suffering, stress, “bad luck”, or sadness in your life) and really you feel nobody really cares about your problems. There are people who are hurt over many things yet do not get depressed. The depressed are people who focus on their own problems, their own sadness, and their own emotional pain.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We are important to God, so important that God delivered up his own son in death to rescue us from all that causes us harm in our lives, which God sees sin as the principal thing. The trick here is that Satan wants to provoke you to more and more sin by sowing the idea that “nobody cares about me nor my problems.” This is the cycle of depression. If a person has a good relationship with their family and friends who show interest in their life (or in a good church which promotes and has love among their members), then this person will feel this love, and depression cannot find a foothold in your life. Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. This love only comes from God, who is Himself the essence of love (1 John 4:16). If a person isolates himself from those who want to help him, from others that want to love him, then depression can become very serious, and even end in suicide.

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Satan is the source and father of all abuse, suffering, and sin. He promotes hate, or even the type of unbridled “love” which is a passion for one’s own self (losing interest in the lives of others). The most perverted love (erotic) is from the devil and is only to use and abuse others in order for one to feel good to one’s own self. 1 John 3:10 identifies those that do evil to others (the unjust) and those that do not love others as being the children of the Devil, and the child of God is someone who manifests the essence of God (love towards others Matthew 22:37-39). Love can be defined as “my sacrifice for your benefit.”

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder… be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God… 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

God commands youth to obey their elders (those who have more experience, wisdom, and who can understand and avoid Satan’s traps), and commands all to have humility. Arrogance is something that God does not tolerate. Above all, one has to be submissive under the powerful hand of God. God commands us to cast our worries and cares upon Him. There is nothing insignificant for God, even praying to God for a simple piece of bread (Matthew 6:11). God permits problems and suffering in our lives so that we have to draw close to God for help and to build up a strong relationship of faith and trusting of God to solve these problems. Suicide is a thinking process which is the opposite. It is a separation from God and His love (which only results in hell).

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Satan comes to steal (do damage), to kill, and to destroy. The evil in our lives comes from Satan, and he is not our friend. If Satan wants our death, especially without Christ, then we see that everything about suicide is satanic, and is for his benefit and is a lie against us that will hurt us. But recognize also that it is a lie of the devil that you will escape your problems by suicide. You simply will exchange you “light” temporal problems that can be fixed for eternal problems of punishment in hell which cannot ever be fixed. Every child of God understands and embraces completely that God is love and will never go to the extreme of solving things with suicide. Love in your life will fix the depression that causes suicide. Love that one receives from God, that one has towards God, and that one shares with his spiritual brethren in a good church will protect you from all evil in the world. The Devil himself comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Satan’s plan is to deceive people by corrupting what God has clearly said (Ephesians 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it🙂 to be ideas and thoughts of things that would cause your own destruction. Many speak of liberty that is really slavery to vices and social “cancers.” Many speak of happiness, joy, enjoyment, and entertainment as if they were the only things of importance in the world or valid things in the life.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Happiness and joy come from focusing on God, and not focusing on these ides of death, pain, your own problems, and life, etc. They wanted to kill Jesus, but His peace never was conditioned on life’s circumstances nor in the good or evil happening to him in his life now. God’s spiritual peace and tranquility causes us to endure all evil that the world wants to throw at us.

Who is the King and Owner of your Life?

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Behind the problems and conflicts that cause a person to consider suicide is a spiritual fight over who is the owner of your life and body. God is our Creator, and being Creator, God is the only one who can command in our lives. The fight is between you running your own life and your submission to God’s authority over your life.

What is suicide?

The people who want to commit suicide are trying to strike back at God for the type of life that God has given them. They do not accept that God is their Creator, who has given them life, and so they rebel against God, taking their own life. In many cases this rebellion is seen in doing what one wants. But the person who considers suicide is taking control of their life from God’s hands through ending their life. Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

How do I avoid ideas of suicide?

Isaiah 40:29 (God) giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; … they shall … not be weary… and not faint.

In Mark 5.2-5 there is a demon possessed person who day and night “cut himself with rocks.” In Matthew 17:15 we also see another demon working which seeks to force the person to commit suicide. The desire to harm yourself is a force of darkness, not from God. But the solution then is only found in God, in His love for you, and in His salvation. We should cast our cares upon Him, “for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). By building a strong relationship with God we can get out of our problems. God will also give us strength and endurance through our problems. The only place of true happiness and joy is when one is in the will of God. God never wants a person to commit suicide. When you come to the place where you cannot continue any more, this is when you need to see God’s power.